Administrators giving test, as teachers’ strike continues

Principals and vice-principals have had another task added to their duties because of the ongoing job action by BC teachers. Grade 4 and 7 students across the province, including on Haida Gwaii, start writing the annual Foundation Skills Assessment tests this week. Usually, the tests are administered by classroom teachers, but this year teachers are refusing that task as part of a limited strike that began in September. Instead, principals and vice-principals will oversee the tests, which gauge students’ abilities in math, reading and writing. School district superintendent Angus Wilson said the tests won’t be done all at once, and the dates could vary from school to school. But administering the tests will add about five hours to local principals’ workloads. “It means more time away from stuff they’re supposed to be doing,” Mr. Wilson said. Principals are already doing much more than usual because the strike means teachers are not supervising recess, writing report cards, attending meetings with administrators, collecting fundraising money, and several other “non-essential” tasks.